One crisp morning in 2018, Sandra Ibarra pulled on a pair of gloves to ward off the winter chill and picked up the first cardboard sign she had designed for a protest.
As a recent immigrant to the United States, Ibarra was wary of attending a demonstration. But since arriving in the United States from Mexico she had had to change careers – it was difficult to recertify her licensing as an accountant in a new country and easier to begin working in childcare – and was shocked by the poor pay. Although she taught, cooked, cleaned and did the books for a small childcare center, she was earning minimum wage. A classmate at the local community college had suggested Ibarra attend the rally, and stick around afterward for a meal with Olé, a grassroots non-profit committed to organizing working-class families.
